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On an expedition to the Out-country, Valentine and Hester's mother/Valentine's lover (Pandora Shaw) found the plans of a weapon made by the 'ancients', called MEDUSA. However, several years later, Pandora returned to the Base where they had found the plans for the weapon. After further exploration, she found the Computer Brain of MEDUSA and took it back with her. The Brain was useless, though, without the plans and codes from the last trip, now held by Valentine. Pandora, wanting to sell both the plans and the Computer to the Anti-Traction League so that they could rebuild it and destroy the Cities, called Valentine to her home, so they could sell the items together and split the profits. Valentine, who was also an agent for London, knew that if his City got the plans it would be unstoppable. He killed Pandora and her husband, and seeing Hester had seen him, slashed wildly at her, ruining her face, but leaving her alive. Later, he took the plans and the artefact to London and helped the Lord Mayor, Magnus Crome, to recreate the weapon inside St. Paul's Cathedral.

Valentine comes into the plot one night in the 'Gut' when Tom Natsworthy saves his life from a veiled, knife-wielding girl (later to be known as Hester) attempting to take Valentine's life. After the girl falls off London, Valentine pushes Tom down after her. Unknown to Valetine, Hester and Tom had survived the fall. Later at Batmunkh Gompa, Valentine destroyed the 'Anti-Traction' League's airfleet and was confronted by Anna Fang. They fought furiously in the snow until Anna finally cut him to the quick - on his knees, leaving Valentine disarmed and exhausted, the very picture of defeat. However, just as she was about to finish him, Valentine's airship the 13th Floor Elevator, distracts her so that Valentine could grab her sword and plunge it through Anna's neck. Later, Hester returns to London, is captured and brought before Valentine, who is terrified of this reminder from his past, and tries to stab Hester, but his own daughter Katherine jumps between the sword and Hester. Katherine later died from the wound. As she lay dying in his arms, he, with the rest of London, dissolved in an explosion of light as MEDUSA malfunctioned and destroyed itself.